The Night Detectives

Review: David Mapstone and Mike Peralta, former police officers with the Phoenix Sheriff's office, have set up shop as private investigators. Their new client is Felix Smith, a well-dressed man, who offers them $10,000 in cash to investigate the death of his sister in The Night Detectives, the seventh mystery in this series by Jon Talton.

Grace Hunter's death was ruled a suicide by the San Diego police, where she apparently jumped from a 19th floor condo balcony. But Smith wonders why his sister would first strip naked, handcuff her hands behind her back, and then throw herself over the railing. Mapstone and Peralta are curious as well. But before they even have a chance to do anything, Smith is shot in the parking lot of their office. And "Smith" might not even be his name … or Grace's brother … as he has three seemingly legitimate driver's licenses on him, all with different names. Mapstone heads to San Diego, where he learns that Grace was, and unknown to her boyfriend Tim, working as a prostitute. When Tim is later tortured and killed, Mapstone is convinced that this case is far more dangerous than he and his partner were initially led to believe.

David Mapstone is an unusual protagonist, a historian by training, a former cop by profession, and now a PI. He studies his cases as he might researching a history project, talking to primary sources, studying secondary sources, uncovering data that must be interpreted in order to be understood and acted upon — almost impulsively — soon thereafter. He asserts that there are three ways to get things done: the right way, the wrong way, and his partner Peralta's way, which he finds may get the job done eventually but not necessarily in the quickest manner. Their present case is an interesting one, with plenty of twists and turns that will keep readers asking, "What next?" With a fast-paced narrative and a good mix of action and intrigue, it doesn't take long to find out.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Night Detectives.

Acknowledgment: Poisoned Pen Press provided an ARC of The Night Detectives for this review.